Dawn of War
by DarkAngelLillith
Summary: When the ghost of Athena sends Kratos away to another reality he also goes far into the future and into a war that might actually make him savior of the entire galaxy.
1. Prologue: All for Nothing

**Disclaimer:** I do not own God of War or Mass Effect

**A/N:** Don't know where this idea came from. Please tell me what you think or any mistakes that need to be fixed.

* * *

**Prologue: **_**All For Nothing  
**_

_'Hope is the worst of evils, for it prolongs the torments of man.'_

_~Friedrich Nietzsche~_

"No!" She cried, watching in disbelief as years of careful planning were destroyed by the actions of the same man she used to achieve her goals.

Hope spread all around her and into the world as Athena's rage began to rise from the ashes of her disbelief. Kratos, nothing but a lump of meat and bones before her and giving his last breaths.

"That was meant for me! They will not know what to do with it," she cried one last time before approaching the Spartan.

The man before her, blinded by rage and hounded by his past, had been a perfect pawn. He'd been nothing but a wild dog she set on those needed to accomplish her goals. Beasts, Gods and Titans fell before him and somewhere along the way she lost her sway over him. Perhaps she'd been the fool for trying to use him again after he struck her down. Disgust at herself fueled her rage as she approached her fallen half-brother. A ghost-like hand pulling his head up to look at her, intent on having the last say before he finally died.

"You disappoint me Spartan."

But the man did not despair. He did not cower and did not howl at her in rage. He stood his ground, defiant, confident that she was powerless to stop what he'd done. She was dead, and most of her power gone, but she was not powerless and she would show him. There were other pawns she could use to find Hope for her.

With a satisfied smirk she pulled the Blade of Olympus from him and threw it on the ground beside him. She didn't have the time to watch him die, but she was loathe to leave him without having witnessed his death. Kratos had defied death enough times to make the goddess doubt it would finally hold him. Maybe it was better if she sent him somewhere else.

"Say farewell to this world, Kratos," she intoned, power flowing through her fingertips and enveloping the warrior.

Kratos didn't have time to respond. Already his strength was waning and his eyesight grew hazy and dark around the edges when Athena struck him. Her power chilling him to the bone in a way not even death had done before. Numb fingers reached down as the taste of blood finally came to his mouth. His laugh was the last thing Athena heard as the body of the Ghost of Sparta disappeared in a flash of bright light.

When the light disappeared Athena couldn't hold her scream of rage. Athena was now free to find a way to get Hope without worries but that damned Spartan took the Blade of Olympus with him.


	2. Chapter 1: Battle for the Skies

**Disclaimer:** I do not own God of War or Mass Effect

**A/N:** Don't be afraid to tell me of any mistakes that need to be fixed or how bad I'm doing.

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**Chapter 1:**_** Battle for the Skies**_

_'To be hopeful in bad times is not just foolishly romantic. It is based on the fact that human history is a history not only of cruelty, but also of compassion, sacrifice, courage, kindness._  
_ What we choose to emphasize in this complex history will determine our lives. If we see only the worst, it destroys our capacity to do something. If we remember those times and places (and there are so many) where people have behaved magnificently, this gives us the energy to act, and at least the possibility of sending this spinning top of a world in a different direction._

_~Howard Zinn~_

"Detonation in ten, nine, eight…" the AI's voice came through the Normandy while everyone ran to their posts and making the pilot curse inwardly as he tried to move fast without breaking something.

"Yeah, got the gist of it, EDI! Hold on!" he cried in relief as he finally arrived to his chair and took of control of the Normandy.

It was a race against time, but he wasn't the best damned pilot just in name. Behind him, the Collector's base exploded, the blast making the debris around them even more of a hazard to pilot through. He could feel some of it hitting the ship and he hoped nothing too big would get them. Shields could only hold for so long, even when upgraded, and they'd taken quite a lot of abuse already.

Commander Calliope Shepard was behind him, and Joker hoped she was holding on to something because they were nearing the Mass Relay and he had no time to ensure a pleasant travel through it.

"And here we go!" he said, entering the relay at the same time that the blast from the base caught up with them.

Three seconds of silence and the Normandy came barreling out of the relay at a speed too fast for the transition to be safe, shields down, interiors compromised and with enough damage to almost merit building a new ship rather than try to fix…

Almost…

"EDI, tell Agent Lawson I'm going to have a little talk with the Illusive Man and I'm leaving her in charge."

"Anything else, Commander?"

"I want a full status report when I'm done with this."

"Understood, Commander. Login you out."

Shepard made her way to the communications room, stopping only to clear debris out of the way. She sighed tiredly, adrenaline leaving her and the pain from her injuries slowly making itself known. She could feel her shoulder throb and was sure she dislocated it trying to keep Garrus from falling. Her ribs reminded her everyone had fallen at the end, anyway.

Without caring about her injuries, she moved a beam blocking the path to the communications room and stared. She felt silly, but couldn't help but blink twice and approach carefully to make sure her injuries were not making her hallucinate. God knows what could blood loss, pain and several hits to the head might cause her to see, but the figure didn't disappear.

Hissing in pain, she crouched and turned to figure over to take a better look. It appeared to be a human man, although bigger and more built than any men she'd ever seen. He also appeared to be dead, given the rather big hole in his stomach and the blood pooling under him.

"What is this man doing here, EDI?"

The blue sphere appeared and Shepard was surprised at the amount of time it took the AI to reply.

"According to my records, he was not in the Normandy until after we came out of the Omega 4 Relay. That is when my scanners first noticed him. My apologies, Commander Shepard, but my resources are being used to keep the Normandy running. Closest dock is on the Omega Station. Jeff is already under way."

Shepard didn't comment. If EDI was busy trying to keep the Normandy from falling apart before they reached Omega, then a dead man in the middle of a room was the least of her worries.

"But who is this man?" she asked, more to herself than to the AI in front of her. That didn't stop the AI from replying.

"Human male unknown. He is not in any known database, Commander."

"What the hell…" she began to say, barely noticing when EDI's sphere disappeared and logged her out, while trying to think of a possible way for an unknown almost naked fresh corpse to appear inside the Normandy.

The only thing that came to mind was that the man was somehow a survivor from the Collectors. How he escaped and got onboard was a mystery, but with him gone the answer to the mystery was gone too. Shepard's ribs were aching and her legs were protesting their position, making her stand up. With him dead there was nothing else to do and she still had to talk with the Illusive Man. She almost ignored the sound, but something made her take a second look at the corpse. Her eyes widened, adrenaline cursed through her veins as she hurried back to the man, omni-tool already poised over him to use her spare medi-gel packet on him.

"EDI, tell Chakwas to get ready to receive one more injured. And tell Grunt to come to the communications room. I need his help to carry this guy to medical."

Somehow this man still clung to life and Shepard would do anything in her power to keep him breathing. After all, a dead man could not answer her questions.


	3. Chapter 2: Waking the Sleeping Giant

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Mass Effect or God of War

**A/N:** First of all, thanks to all the people that reviewed! And here is my attempt at violence and fighting. Does it show that I'm neither violent nor used to write this type of scene? Like always, tell me of any mistakes or improvements and I'll try to fix it as soon as possible.

"talking"

_"italics"_ part of the speech that Kratos doesn't understand until the translator kicks in

line - change in POV

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_**Chapter 2: **__**Waking the Sleeping Giant**_

'_The person who has nothing for which he is willing to fight, nothing which is more important than his own personal safety, is a miserable creature and has no chance of being free unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself.'_

_~~John Stuart Mill~~_

While Mordin succeeded in escorting them back to the Normandy alive, there were some that were injured along the way. Their injuries were not life threatening and they had to wait until the main group, whose injuries were far worse than theirs, were treated. Finding that mysterious stowaway only made them have to wait longer. By the time they reached Omega the crew relaxed slightly. With the increasing threat of the ship falling apart out of the way, the crew could now stop trying to keep the Normandy from collapsing and concentrate on their injuries and losses.

By the time they reached Omega, Chakwas had treated all major injuries and was scheduled a short break to eat something before beginning to treat the minor injuries of the crew. She was re-reading the scans on the man the Commander found. It had been touch and go for a moment, but now his vitals were stable. If only the test results made sense... Otherwise, this man had no vaccines, implants or augmentations she expected for a human male of his build and size. This included the universal translators she had to install that were common enough to be implanted in toddlers. If the scans were right, then there was something in his blood similar, but not quite the same, as what can be found in biotics. Also, the amount of scarring on his body, both outside and inside, suggested that this man had suffered a similar injury before and survived. Something that shouldn't even be possible, since that same amount of scarring revealed a horrifying lack of medical attention.

"Why can't it ever be easy around here?" she asked herself out loud, glad that those she didn't discharge were still sleeping.

Chakwas studied the man's vitals, the frown getting more pronounced, as she rechecked the amount of sedatives she gave him. Already he almost woke up in the middle of treatment and it looked like he was waking up. She injected him a quarter of the usual amount, hoping to God it didn't kill him. The man was built like a krogan and, for once, she was glad the Commander had ordered to restrain him.

Her omni-tool beeped and she re-read the result. Again. She cursed mentally as the same results appeared. Tired, hungry and completely giving up on trying to make sense of the results, Chakwas' eyes roamed around the Med Lab.

The Commanders' specialists had already been discharged, or had discharged themselves in some cases. The only crew member to be severely injured was sleeping peacefully and would be out as soon as he woke up. The Commander was still resting in her cabin and she already complained about her results to Agent Lawson and Dr. Solus. The salarian took a blood sample and promised to look into it as soon as possible. Hoping that he could help her out and knowing there was nothing else she could do until then, she rubbed her neck and let out a sigh.

"EDI, inform me of any change in their vitals. I'll be in the mess eating dinner or breakfast."

The blue sphere appeared before speaking, "Understood, Doctor. Anything else?"

Chakwas almost said no, but paused to reconsider, "I'm expecting some information from Mordin. If he sends it while I'm still out, notify me immediately."

"Anything else?"

"That will be all"

"Enjoy your meal. Logging you out, Doctor," The AI intoned and Chakwas didn't know if she should be amused or worried at the AI's increased show of a personality.

* * *

The pain was gone. That was the first thing he noticed as he regained consciousness. He almost missed it as it had been his constant companion for so long. The second thing was that the air seemed colder and it smelled different… Very different… His mind felt clouded, as if drunk, but not quite like that. Trying to move his hand showed him that he was being held down and it was that simple fact that brought everything back to him.

Killing the Gods… Pandora… Killing Zeus… His family… Hope… Athena… Dying… Athena's last words…

Kratos' eyes flew open, arms already fighting against his restraints weakly. Blinding light welcomed him back into the world. His mind less foggy, his strength slowly returning as he took a good look at the place Athena sent him. A torture chamber of some sort, probably a place the goddess used to punish those that opposed her. He could feel the restraints giving away as his strength returned.

"ATHENA!" he cried out as he tugged one last time and was freed of his shackles.

"_Warning. Unknown prisoner is conscious and trying to escape."_ EDI said over the speakers, _"Subject is unarmed. Subject is unarmed. _Last orders were to keep him alive."

The female voice spoke gibberish to Kratos but he could feel it on his mind. Rage began to build up, the damned nymph or spirit serving Athena, suddenly speaking Greek in his mind

"ATHENA!" he called again to the once goddess, "Keep your whore out of my mind!"

He punctuated his challenge to the goddess by lifting the same table he'd been strapped to and threw it at the nearby wall. A wall that wasn't quite a wall, but the window to the mess hall.

All Kratos knew was that he had to get out of this prison and make Athena pay for using him. The incredibly bright light that surrounded him turned blinking red and there was an annoying sound that only served to annoy him further. From one of the torture tables, a prisoner stood up. Kratos didn't have his weapons, but that didn't stop from using his own hands as a bludgeon weapon. He wasn't going to give an enemy of Athena the chance to get to her before him.

* * *

Chakwas was finishing her meal and having a chat with Gardner when EDI sent a message to her omni-tool. The man was awake and fighting his restrains. Worried that he might injure himself, she excused herself, but before she could even get up from her chair EDI's voice came through the speakers.

"Warning. Unknown prisoner is conscious and trying to escape. Subject is unarmed. Subject is unarmed. Last orders were to keep him alive."

The AI had barely finished to speak when the window that separated the mess hall from medical shattered and one of her examination tables crashed against the kitchen with enough force that Chakwas was almost sure part of it made it through to Miranda's office.

It happened too fast for her. One minute the kitchen was destroyed, the next she was running to her medical lab in time to watch crewman Hawthorne get pummeled to death by the man with his bare hands.

Chakwas had survived many things during her life, the liberation of Shanxi, the Skyllian Blitz, the search for Saren and destroying the Collectors among her most dangerous adventures, but nothing could have prepared her to watch Hawthorne die before her eyes. They just survived becoming liquefied in some Reaper experiment, she just saved him from death and now he was dead when they were supposed to be celebrating.

Her horror couldn't distract her from the raging man that advanced towards her. The feeling of dread and fear almost paralyzed her, before she got some form of control and ran. The man screamed something her translator didn't quite get, and he would've followed her if not for the gunshot she could hear behind her.

* * *

Garrus Vakarian just finished cleaning his favorite rifle when the alarm sounded and EDI spoke. The crash just outside the Main Battery had him running out in time to see Chakwas running and the man Commander Shepard found trying to give chase. Without thinking he lined the shot, almost forgetting that Calliope wanted to interrogate him, and used a concussive shot on the man.

But instead of falling unconscious like he expected the unarmored man to do, he was rewarded by a scream of rage that reminded him of Jack for some reason, and words that his translator didn't quite grasped before the man charged at him like a krogan.

The impact left him breathless and Garrus was sure he broke a plate or two. The man was on top of him, hands clasped above his head, ready to hammer his face open when he was suddenly lifted up and Miranda's clipped voice reached him.

"Dammit, Vakarian, move!"

The turian rolled over just in time to see the man being slammed into the ground with enough force to break some bones. Unless you were shielded, which seemed to be the case with this human as he seemed to be slightly dazed but ready to continue fighting.

With a grimace, Garrus got to his feet and tried to get away from the main battery, Miranda's rather crude curse as her next Warp went almost unnoticed by the stranger. Who just threw the battery's console to the ex-Cerberus' agent, fast enough to prevent her getting out of the way.

Miranda was hit with enough force to make her hit the wall. Garrus could smell her blood mingling with the scent of whoever had been the man's first victim. The turian turned, ready to defend himself, sharp teeth bared, talons ready to rip away flesh, when there was a flash of biotic energy and Samara's sharp voice.

"Get her out here, Vakarian. Chakwas is in the Starboard Observation deck. I will take care of this."

Garrus didn't hesitate in picking up the injured Miranda and getting out of the way. The Justicar didn't let the man recover from her throw and summoning more biotic power, she concentrated on the pale man's nervous system.

* * *

Kratos didn't know what kind of monsters were trying to stop him from escaping. The blue siren was trying to curse him; he felt her magic crawling under his skin. He didn't stop moving, instead, he rushed forward, surprising her and grabbing the enchantress by the neck, ready to snap it like he did with Hera, when a beast crashed into him, sending him and the siren to the floor.

"How come I didn't get invited to this?" The beast cried in his mind and Kratos lunged towards him.

* * *

Grunt was having the time of his life. First they destroyed the Collectors and he had the scars to show off to the females when they reached Tuchanka. And now there was this human male that gave trouble to a Justicar. He couldn't wait to pound the bastard to the ground. And here he'd been thinking nothing interesting ever happened in the ship.

The man packed quite a punch, Grunt observed as his shield absorbed it. He returned the punch and used his head plates in a headbut, only to feel the man hold on to his neck and use his strength to twist it in a way the krogan was almost sure would mean his end, when he noticed the air shimmer around him. That was the only warning the krogan got before the flashbang grenade exploded.

The explosion made nearby electronics die and Grunt's shields collapse. The Justicar cursed in a way that made him snort and the man crumpled to the ground screaming nonsense in his rage. The shimmer disappeared to show their resident thief, who didn't even utter a word as she approached the man and as quick as their assassin jabbed a needle in his neck.

"That should do it," she finally spoke, though she hurried out of the man's reach and cloaked herself as soon as her grenade's effect wore off.

The man tried to stand, but Grunt could see the effects of the sedative take hold. With rising disappointment, the krogan huffed and caught the falling human before he could fall to the ground.

"What a waste of my time," he murmured, but he made his way back to what remained of the medical lab.

"Restrain him and keep watch, Grunt. I will get the doctor back," Samara spoke as she turned towards the Starboard deck.

"I still don't get why we can't kill him," he told the Justicar and the asari didn't stop walking even as she replied.

"Something tells me that as soon as my oath to Shepard has been fulfilled I will be forced to go after him. Perhaps I will extend an invitation to you. I believe I have grown accustomed to this crew."

"Ha!"

* * *

I think the whole translator thing deserves an explanation. Since Kratos speaks a really ancient form of Greek, their translators will have a hard time to pick up what the other is trying to say. There will quite a lot of words missed in translation, but the translators will work, only not quite as efficient as with living languages around the galaxy. On another note, my brother just pointed out to me that Shepard's recruits are all basket cases and Kratos would be quite at home there. Just wanted to share that thought out.


	4. Chapter 3: Palace of the Fates

**Disclaimer: **They are not mine. I just play with them.

**A/N:** Thanks for the reviews! Keep telling me what you think or what I can do to improve the story. I'll fix any mistakes you tell me as soon as possible.

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**Chapter 3: Palace of the Fates**

"_Hope, deceitful as it is, serves at least to lead us to the end of our lives by an agreeable route."_

_~~~Francois Duc de La Rochefoucauld~~~_

The Commander's raised eyebrow was the only sign of emotion she allowed herself to show. To wake up and find that there'd been a battle while she slept was disconcerting and insulting to her. She was the Commander of this vessel and nothing, not even injury, should stop her from knowing what the hell happened in her own ship. She had no control over her injuries and fatigue and, truth be told, she had needed the time to pull herself together and focus on a new strategy to get someone – anyone- besides Cerberus to believe her words about the Reapers. The intense red glow of what used to be blue eyes made the crew flinch.

"Why is it that whenever I'm out of commission, everything goes down to hell?" she asked herself under her breath.

"We can always get EDI to open the airlock for you," Garrus commented, sitting beside her and doing what Shepard could only describe as sulking as he prodded his broken plates, "Might as well do the whole re-enactment if you're feeling left out."

"Don't joke about it, Garrus," she said, eyes hardening again as she faced Jacob, "Is Miranda going to be alright?"

The ex-Cerberus operative used his omni-tool before answering, "She's got a few cracked ribs and a concussion, but she'll make a good recovery. Thank God for those bone weave upgrades."

Shepard cocked her head and Jacob had to avert his eyes at the sight of her scarred cheek.

"Let me get this straight. One unarmored man not only managed to lift the bolted medical beds and destroy the medical lab and kitchen, killing one of my crew while doing so. But also managed to break a turian's plates and injure my second in command. And this one man did all that while somehow being mostly resistant to concussive shots and biotic abilities. Can that even be possible?"

"Unknown subject has a proven high tolerance to most sedatives. Results of tests show his body is building immunity even as we speak, Commander," EDI's artificial voice preceded her globed appearance in the conference room.

"If I may, Commander. Found object. Sword. Primitive weapon. Fascinating material. New metal. Never before seen. Theoretically possible to recreate artificially. Impossible on nature. No sign of artificial manufacture on weapon. Sword's existence, mystery. Living subject. Also a mystery. No vaccines. No implants. Significant DNA variations dating back thousands of years of human history."

"For the love of God, Mordin, take a breather," Shepard interrupted the salarian's monologue, " Are you saying we have a caveman down in what's left of medical?"

The salarian looked vaguely affronted, "Not caveman. DNA similar to what you humans would classify as ancient European. Surveillance show subject speaking. Language run through databases. Dead human language. Consistent with DNA results."

"But, that's not possible."

"Theory. Reapers observing Earth. Subject abducted by Collectors. Humans found primitive. Possibility of improvement. Interest of Reapers sustained. Subsequent abductions through time. Subjects left in cryo. Pods failed during attack. Subject woke. Panicked. Subject's strength facilitated escape. Injury sustained. Found way to Normandy. Hide. Wake with fight or flight behavior."

The Commander rubbed her temples while trying to make sense of the salarian's words.

"Guess all those alien abduction stories from the past were true," Kasumi commented while fiddling with her omni-tool.

"That would mean they've been keeping tabs on humanity since God knows how long," Jacob spoke up followed by Thane's peculiar tone.

"That's a frightening thought."

"So we have a plausible reason why he's here. That doesn't help us decide what we're going to do with him," Tali's heavily accented voice drifted from the back of the room.

"I say we kill him now," Samara said from her position, "He has already shown a disposition for unrestrained violence and murder. He needs to be punished."

"That's the Code speaking, I'm sure…" Shepard commented while deep in thought.

Throughout the galaxy, Commander Shepard was known as a ruthless woman. Born on Mindoir, her future as a happy farmer with a good husband and children went down in flames when the batarian ships came down from the skies. Her personality was remade and forged anew under the screams, blood and destruction of everything and anyone she held dear. Torfan would become the one thing that the galaxy would only remember her for. She wasn't just the first human SPECTRE. She was the Butcher of Torfan and she was willing to sacrifice anyone to accomplish her goals.

But ruthlessness alone would not carry her far. Calliope had a gift of making people follow her. Despite having consciously ordered three fourths of her unit to their deaths on Torfan, people flocked to her. Like moths to a flame. And like the flames, she burned them without a second thought.

Crewman Hawthorn had been part of the Normandy and she had saved him from the Collectors. His death, while horrible in the manner it came, didn't pain her or anger her. The only thing that angered her was that she hadn't been informed of it sooner. Though with the information Mordin just gave to her, she doubted punishment would come to their caveman. After all, if Mordin was right, the Reapers wanted him for something (perhaps the same thing they wanted her for); and, if he wasn't, then at least he already proved to have some interesting skills that could be beneficial to her.

If she found some way to get through to him. Otherwise, she would make Samara one happy Justicar.

"Punishment is a little harsh for someone who was just defending himself," she finally spoke, ignoring the disgruntled sound coming from the asari, "Let's try talking to him first. Maybe without destroying the ship this time. Any ideas?"

The Commander wanted to give the man a chance. That much was certain to the people around her. Otherwise, she wouldn't even try to talk. There was silence as they remembered Shepard's darkest side. The side that expected them to follow her orders to the point of death. They seldom forgot about it, but the few moments it happened, they were shocked anew to discover they were still willing to follow her to the mouths of hell. It was her gift, though sometimes it was hard to see it as such.

"Many ideas. Seeker swarms. Might be useful," Mordin broke the silence, "Samples needed. Must contact Chakwas. No experimentation on living subject. Should start now."

"Go ahead, Mordin," Shepard said, allowing the salarian to begin working.

The rest of the team watched the scientist walk out of the communications room before turning their eyes back to their leader.

"So, let's see who is going with me to see Aria," the Commander said, "I'm feeling like collecting on a few favors."

Her smile would've been pretty, if not for the scars marring her cheek.

* * *

Kratos was at the door of the temple of Athena. His body covered in blood. His soldiers slaughtering the villagers. Ares demanded every life and Kratos was going to deliver them. The Oracle standing in his path would not stop him.

"Kratos! Hear my words!" the old crone spoke, "You exist because we allow it. You will end because we demand it."

The temple was gone. The dead piled in front of him. Their skin and muscles melting from their bones. Their voices clamoring for vengeance in a deafening roar. Then silence before the thousands of skeletons spoke again.

"Leave the dead where they fall. The dead are useless. We are your salvation through destruction."

Kratos watched as the pile of bones melted. The liquid blood, skin, muscle and bone rising like the oceans after he killed Poseidon and threatening to drown him. Kratos screamed, his mouth filling with the disgusting substance. Something caught him and pulled him out.

Kratos stared at Hermes. The world was a black void and the legless god crawled towards him leaving a trail of blood behind him.

"We are legion, little brother. We are eternal."

Kratos didn't falter this time. His blades cutting off the god's head. It rolled away before stopping, lifeless eyes staring up at him.

"You were the end of everything, Kratos. We are the beginning."

The Spartan approached the head slowly. He lifted one foot and stomped on it. The blood spraying over the black void.

He was back at the temple. There was no haze clouding his sight. No hunger for blood clawing at his insides. Only his wife and daughter kneeling in prayer.

"We are the Harbinger of your destiny. Submit to your destiny. We are the Harbinger of your perfection. Embrace perfection. We are the Harbinger of your ascendance. Accept your ascendance."

The sight of them, safe from the slaughter he could hear outside the walls of the temple made him take a step forward. And that one step made them disappear from him sight.

"Lysandra! Calliope!" he screamed their names.

Pain, the like he felt when he saw their lifeless bodies before him, suffocated him. The same pain that had haunted him for so long… until she came… Pandora…

The pain was replaced by something else. A feeling he could not name, though he knew was important; important enough to warrant the destruction of the world.

There were humans covered from head to toe in strange armor. There were creatures whose names he did not know. Blue sirens that could send a man flying over the air with a flick of her hands. Perfect phalanxes made by fanged lizards. Giant reptiles that rushed through battle, breaking through the enemy lines like centaurs and Cyclops. Agile salamander creatures sneaking around like assassins in the dead of night. Strange weapons that killed from a distance. And in the middle stood a warrior. A woman in full body armor, brown hair flowing behind her, raging screams coming from her mouth, blood covering from head to toe.

"You have failed, Shepard" A voice, dark and hollow came down from the sky and the woman sank to her knees, holding her stomach and blood pouring from her lips.

The sight of her defeat ripping a scream from his throat. Before him stood, not the warrior, but his own daughter. Her cheek was scarred, but that was his Calliope and she was dying.

The little girl tilted her head forward, brown hair obscuring her face as she coughed blood. A backhand shoved her head back and her blue eyes glowed red.

"Father…" she whispered and Kratos could hear her plea, "Humanity is ready to do its part. We have the strength to overcome any obstacle. When the Reapers come, we must stand side by side. We must fight against them as one. And together we can drive them back into dark space!"

And with those words his daughter died and Kratos woke.

* * *

**A/N #2: **Just to explain some things. Before someone reminds me Athena was the one that sent Kratos to the ME world, Mordin's theory is the one that makes most sense to the characters and I'm not forcing them to accept traveling through universe by divine intervention from the start (if ever). Kratos' nightmare is a side effect of killing the Sisters of Fate. I may need to tweak his powers in the ME universe, but I'll do my best to keep him in character. Just a heads up. _And yes, I used some quotes from Sovereign, Harbinger and Anderson in Krato's nightmare._


	5. Chapter 4: The Vengeful Spartan

**Disclaimer:** I do not own them. I just play with them.

**A/N:** I'll answer some of the questions here: Shepard is not Calliope reborn. Kratos comes from a different dimension. Shepard IS the Calliope of her dimension. That means that her father woud've been the Kratos of her dimension and her mother Kratos' dead wife. And no, her father wasn't as awesome as the Kratos we know. Given that she's like his daughter, no they won't be romantically involved. She does have a romance going on, it's just not going to play a big part unless the plot calls for it. And, I'll try to keep updating the story once a week. Now that I think I answered everything, tell me of any mistakes and I'll fix them as soon as possible.

_Italics_ – in speech means that word did not translate

* * *

**Chapter 4: The Vengeful Spartan  
**

'_Justice is always violent to the party offending, for every man is innocent in his own eyes'_

_~~~ Daniel Defoe~~~_

Shepard watched the sleeping man. According to Dr. Chakwas and EDI, he was close to waking up. According to Mordin, the serum he created using the Seeker swarm venom would keep him paralyzed but able to see and hear everything. And according to Miranda and Garrus she was crazy for having moved the man to the Starboard Observation deck with no way to restrict him. She wasn't alone with him. Grunt was still itching for a fight and Tali had informed her she finished her repairs on Legion. The geth and the krogan had offered to accompany her in case Mordin's serum failed.

The man's face was contorted in an angry scowl and she wondered what kind of life he led that he couldn't even relax in sleep. Her eyes strayed to the window, showing her the empty void of space. For a second she remembered how hard she fought for air before she died. A shiver went down her spine as her lungs constricted painfully. She forced to turn back to the sleeping man, breathing deeply to remind herself that she was alive, only to find the man looking back at her.

"Awake, I see," she began while approaching him.

The man's eyes promised death and Shepard hoped she could convince the man to join her side. She would hate to destroy the potential she barely tasted in him.

"I am Commander Calliope Shepard and this is my ship, the Normandy," she continued, making a sweep with her hands to gesture at the ship.

"Under normal circumstances, the restrains wouldn't be this severe, but you destroyed the medical lab, injured my team and killed one of my crew. You're lucky I'm in a forgiving mood."

She made a slight motion with her head and Grunt and Legion stepped from behind the couch. Between them, they moved the man to face the window. Shepard hid a satisfied smile when she saw the surprise in his eyes. In a tone of voice worthy of Aria herself, Shepard began speaking.

"Guess what? The world is round and there are a bunch of other worlds. Most of them are worthless. Some of them have rocks we can mine. And few of them have life. They don't look like us, at least most of them don't. "

She stepped close to him, one hand reaching forward to touch the window. Such a fragile material and it was all that separated her from death.

"And in between worlds is this void. Space."

She turned her head to him, glowing red inspecting the man. His eyes were riveted on the darkness beyond the window.

"Our guess is that you got the attention of the Collectors or the Reapers themselves. That's what kept you alive for so long. We destroyed the Collectors' base and, hopefully, most of the Collectors. But the Reapers are the true masterminds. I can't take you home. Believe me, the Roman Empire or Egyptian Pharaoh thing is long past. Home isn't there anymore. But I can give you a way to get even. Avenge the life they robbed from you when they took you away from your family and friends. The Collectors might be gone, but the Reapers are still out there and who knows what other races they've enslaved."

Shepard sighed and turned away from the window. A slight nod from her head had the krogan and the geth carrying the man to the couch again. She followed them, red eyes glowing in the semi-lit room.

"I'll leave you to think about it. Just try not to destroy my ship," she said already on her way out of the room. Her words carried an unsaid threat. The doors closed behind her, leaving Kratos under the watch of the krogan and the geth.'

* * *

Kratos opened his eyes to find himself in another strange room. He didn't care. His eyes were drinking the sight of the warrior woman from his dream. The one that turned into his daughter before dying. There was something odd about her, a glowing red light on her face. She turned to look at him. Her words of acknowledgement lost to him as he took in her red eyes. So unlike his Calliope. Yet he couldn't deny there was something that reminded him of her. Perhaps her hair…

He tried to speak… demand to know where he was. But no words came out of his lips. He willed his body to move, but not one muscle obeyed. He glared at the woman. No one. Not even the gods had kept him down. And she would learn what a mistake this was. Her words took the breath out of his lungs and all thoughts of her demise fled his mind.

"I am Commander Calliope Shepard and this is my ship, the Normandy."

Never mind that this Normandy didn't look like any vessel he'd been in. Like father, like daughter. Athena was surely playing with his mind. He was trapped in this place with this woman that looked almost like he'd envisioned his grown up daughter to look. A woman that shared her name.

"Under normal circumstances, the restrains wouldn't be this severe, but you destroyed the _medical lab_, injured my team and killed one of my crew. You're lucky I'm in a forgiving mood."

Her voice was cold. Kratos could see that the woman standing before him was used to get her way one way or another. His wife had been like that. If she were male, she would've been a true Spartiate; raised to give orders and never to follow them. His daughter would've been just like her. There was only one thing she'd asked that he didn't give her. In the end, denying her had cost him her life.

He couldn't feel, but someone was dragging him forward. He cursed the sentimentality clouding his mind. He was a warrior and he should act like one. He growled in his mind as he fought against the magic that kept him paralyzed. At least until he was standing in front of the void.

She was speaking words that made no sense to him. Like a round world, when everyone knew Gaia had been the world and Atlas had kept the sky on his shoulders to separate her from Uranos. Without them there was nothing, just Chaos. And that was what he was looking at, the void of Chaos. Had this been his doing? He had caused their demise after all…

He watched her touch the barrier that separated them from the devouring darkness.

"And in between worlds is this void. _Space."_

He could feel her eyes on him, but he didn't care. How could he destroy Athena when he was trapped in the middle of Chaos itself? Besides him she kept on talking. Unfamiliar words intertwined with words that he was sure didn't mean what he thought they meant. Her manner of speech didn't exactly help, but he was smart enough to fill the gaps.

She thought he'd been captured by servants of some gods called Reapers. She claimed to have killed these servants. Perhaps he'd been mistaken and this warrior woman had rescued him from Athena's prison.

She didn't promise to get him home. A good thing seeing as he knew there was no home to return to. Instead, she promised to take him to these new gods… or where they servants of Athena? Most probably the latter, as she was the cause that of his entrapment in the void. Not like the details mattered to him. What mattered was that she promised him vengeance against what he was sure were servants of Athena.

He watched her sigh and walk away, noticing the slight movement of her head before he was moved again to the strange bed he'd been laying in when he woke up.

"I'll leave you to think about it. Just try not to destroy my ship," she told him and Kratos clenched his teeth in anger. How dare she threaten him! Stronger gods had lost their lives for less!

He could her hear walk away and another sound making her steps disappear. A door? It didn't quite sound like a door, but Kratos was not sure anymore. He was on a ship that could sail through Chaos itself with a woman, out of all things, playing Commander. A Commander that would soon rue the day she ordered him bound.

He could feel his hand twitch. He would've smirked if could've. Soon, he would be free. His eyes strayed to the window. He thought back on her words. Most of it didn't make sense at all, but the promise of getting even with Athena was too good to pass up. Knowing that the goddess thought she'd gotten away with the last word made him rage inside even more than this so called Commander's threats.

Perhaps Calliope was a trap meant to lead him to his own destruction, but deep down he knew he couldn't kill her. Not when he could still see his little girl in her. He closed his eyes and tried to speak again. He willed his throat to work and though he felt as if he was screaming, only a whisper came out of his lips.

"_I will accept her offer."_

There was a guttural grunt beside him and one of the beasts he fought earlier came into view. Was it one of the things that had grabbed him? What kind of woman was this Calliope?

"Did you say something?" The frog beast said, much to his surprise.

Kratos didn't let his surprise stop him. He mustered all his strength into speaking and tried again.

"I said I will accept her offer. Vengeance will be mine."

* * *

_**Random bit of info:** Spartiate - what Spartan male citizens called each other. Their women had more rights than other women around the world during those times. They literally lived to fight (males) or keep themselves fit (females) and did not work at all. They had servants to work for them._

_**A/N#2:** Hopefully, in the next chapter Kratos will finally join the crew without risk of mass murder. _


End file.
